Robert Engwerda was born in the Netherlands, his family later settling in northern Victoria. His occupations have included fruit picker, factory worker, clerk, secondary school teacher and educational publisher. His first novel, Backwaters, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2005, and in 2007 he won a place in the Australian Society of Authors' highly regarded mentorship program. His new novel, Mosquito Creek, will be published by Penguin in 2010. Robert currently lives in Melbourne. Profile was last updated on July 21, 2010